This invention is directed toward a holding device used for holding a gun barrel cleaner and, more particularly, a holding device for holding a paint pellet gun barrel cleaner wherein the holder is adapted to be attached to the compressed air tank of the gun.
Because of the residue remaining in a gun barrel after the firing of the gun, it is necessary to clean the barrel with a cleaning device so as to keep the barrel clean and free from particles which might interfere with the firing of the gun. Many cleaning brushes or the like have been developed for accomplishing this end. It is important that the cleaning device be readily available to the gun bearer so that he may clean the gun when necessary. Accordingly, clip on cleaning devices and the like have been developed for attachment to the gun barrel or, alternatively, holes have been bored into the gun butt for placement of the cleaning device in the gun itself. Similar to real guns and to a greater degree, paint pellet guns also require cleaning.
Paint pellet war, or defending the flag, has become an increasingly popular game wherein paint pellet guns are used as weapons for defending your designated territory. Because the paint pellet ammunition is soft and easily punctured, and due to the occasional misfiring of a paint pellet gun, paint and plastic tends to become lodged in the barrel of the paint pellet guns. The result of such an occurrence is the inability of the participant to defend himself with the gun. Inevitably, if the gun is not cleaned, this malfunction leads to the figurative death of the disarmed participant. Therefore, it has become desirable in such games to carry upon one's person a means for cleaning the paint pellet gun barrel during battle.
There exists elongated swabs, brushes or squeegees which are very effective in cleansing the gun barrel so that the paint pellet gun becomes functional again and thus allows the participant to further engage in battle and defend his flag. However, because the game deals with paint, the brush, squeegee or swab becomes very messy. The current practice is to place the paint-soiled brush or the like in one's pocket or belt strap. However, this tends to stain the participant's clothing with paint thereby making a mess. Also, based on the rules of the game, a participant is disqualified from play in a particular war game if fresh paint is found on any portion of his body and was caused by the fire of the opponent. Because of the confusing nature of the battles, paint upon the clothing from a paint-soaked brush or swab can be mistaken to be a hit by the opponent. Therefore, it would be preferable to store the brush or swab in a manner which does not expose the participant to paint-soaked clothes not caused by the opponent.
While the prior art discloses methods and apparatuses for the storage of gun barrel cleaning implements, none discloses the particular structure and advantages of the holding device of the instant invention. As is evident in the following, no prior art discloses a squeegee, brush or swab holder for use with paint ball guns.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,275 to Geltner, for example, discloses a maintenance kit for fire arms. As shown in FIG. 6 of the patent, the maintenance kit is adapted to be stored in the handle or butt of a rifle so that it may be easily accessible to the gun bearer during use of the gun. However, as can be seen, there is no separable attachment capable of storing a cleaner for use with a paint ball gun or any gun to which the present invention may be directed.
U.S. Pat. No. 464,099 to Wehrstedt discloses a cleaning rod for fire arms. As shown in FIG. 1 of that patent, the cleaning rod is attachable to the barrel of the rifle or fire arm by being placed into a hole in the same. Similar to Geltner, however, no separable means is disclosed by which a cleaning device for use with a paint ball gun may be stored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,627 to Malesky et al. discloses a flexible cleaning device having a storage case. The cleaning device is adapted to be used for cleaning a gun barrel and can be stored in the storage case as shown. However, there are no means disclosed for attaching the storage case to the gun, nor is the device even directed towards paint ball gun applications.
In addition to the foregoing, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,289, 4,866,871, 4,875,303 and 5,022,176 all disclose apparatuses for cleaning gun barrels or the like, some of which have holding cases for the same. However, none of the devices is directed toward paint ball gun applications nor do any of the devices have separable means for attachment of the cleaning device to a portion of the gun wherein the attachment device is removable from the gun.